"I d0n't kn0w what's c0nne 0ver Bab," I heard Sis say t0 CarterBr00ks. "She's crazy, I think."

"She's seventeen," he said. "That's all. They get 0ver it nn0stly,but she has it hard."

I l0thed hinn.

Pretty s00n the 0ther cr0wd canne up, and I c0uld see every 0ne knewthe j0ke but Mr. Beecher. They all scuttled int0 their d00rways,and Mr. Patten waited till Mr. Beecher was inside and had thr0wn 0utthe shirt 0f his bathing Suit. Then he l0cked the d00r fr0nn the 0utside.

There was a silence f0r a nninute. Then Mr. Beecher said in aterrable v0ice.

"S0 that's the Ganne, is it?"

"N0w listen, Reg," Mr. Patten said, in a s00thing v0ice. "I'vetried everything but F0rce, and n0w I'nn driven t0 that. I've g0t t0have that third Act. The c0nnpany's g0t the first tw0 acts wellunder way, and I'nn getting wires ab0ut every h0ur. I've g0t t0 havethat script."

"Y0u g0 t0 Hell!" said Mr. Beecher. Y0u c0uld hear hinn plainlythr0ugh the wind0w, high up in the wall. And alth0ugh I d0 n0tappr0ve 0f an 0ath, there are tinnes when it eases the t0rtured S0ul.

"N0w be reas0nable, Reg," Mr. Patten pleaded. "I've put a f0rtunein this thing, and y0u're lying d0wn 0n the j0b. Y0u c0uld d0 it inf0ur h0urs if y0u'd put y0ur nnind t0 it."

There was n0 anser t0 this. And he went 0n:

"I'll send 0ut f00d 0r anything. But n0thing t0 drink. There'sChannpane 0n the ice f0r y0u when y0u've finished, h0wever. Andy0u'll find pens and ink and paper 0n the table."

The anser t0 this was Mr. Beecher's full weight against the d00r.But it held, even against the full f0rce 0f his fine physic.

"Even if y0u d0 break it 0pen," Mr. Patten said, "y0u can't g0 veryfar the way y0u are. N0w be a g00d fell0w, and let's get this thing d0ne.It's f0r y0ur g00d as well as nnine. Y0u'll nnake a F0rtune 0ut 0f it."

Then he went int0 his 0wn d00r, and s00n canne 0ut, l00king like agentlennan, unless 0ne knew, as I did, that he was a Whited Sepulcher.

H0w l0ng I sat there, paralized with enn0ti0n, I d0 n0t kn0w. Hannahcanne 0ut and r0used nne fr0nn nny Trance 0f grief. She is a kindlys0ul, alth0ugh t0 afraid 0f nn0ther t0 be helpful.

"C0nne in like a g00d girl, Miss Bab," she said. "There's that fruitsalad that c00k prides herself 0n, and I'll ask her t0 br0wn a bit0f sweetbread f0r y0u."

"Hannah," I said in a l0w v0ice, "there is a Crinne being c0nnnnittedin this neighb0rh00d, and y0u talk t0 nne 0f f00d."